protecting figure with matplotlib widgets

[pavoljuhas]

Ubuntu Linux 10.04, matplotlib version: 0.99.1.1, backend GtkAgg;
probably the same in all later versions

There seems to be no way of protecting a GUI-only figure containing
matplotlib widgets. If this figure becomes active, any pyplot command
will draw over the widgets. As an example, this happens in the built-in
subplot_tool function where the plot command draws into the Reset box:

$ ipython -pylab
In [1]: subplot_tool()
# click any slider
In [2]: plot(range(2))

MATLAB deals with this issue by having a HandleVisibility and IntegerHandle
properties, which prevent a GUI figure from becoming the active one and protect
it from accidental changes. It would be surely useful to have some similar
option of protecting GUI figures in matplotlib.

[tacaswell]

Should be addressed in the #2624 or #2736 work. The simplest fix is a way to exclude/remove a figure from gcf_helper.

[pavoljuhas]

Could you please be more specific and provide an example of creating protected figure?
Is there some way of setting figure protection after subplot_tool() creates its window?

[tacaswell]

Sorry, that comment is mostly a note to my self to make linkages from those issues to this one.

By 'should' here I mean 'remember to make it able to do this'.

The safest way is to use the OO interface, not pyplot, that way you never are surprised about where it plots.

[petehuang]

#2624 linked to MEP27/#4143, just tossing a link here.

[QuLogic]

This seems to have been fixed since at least 2.0, as calling subplot_tool opens a (empty) figure which becomes active instead of it, so nothing is drawn on the Reset button.